Tag Archives: pear

By The Magazine

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Last day of school before a 5 day break, what what?!!  I was actually super busy all afternoon but something about not having to go to class tomorrow just made the whole day feel 100% fun.

I rolled over to look at the time this morning and it was already 7:15.  It’s possible my alarm didn’t beep, but more likely that I turned it off in my sleep.  Breakfast was on the go, and rushed.  A perfect pear,

and this Orgain Iced Cafe Mocha protein drink.

I bought the drink on super-sale at the Co-op and it wasn’t really what I was expecting.  It wasn’t thick or sweet at all, which would normally be nice but was strange when I was expecting the opposite.  But the nutrients did a good job of filling in my morning.

And then we had cake.

I’ll tell you again, that my classmates all loved the crock-pot cake.  Even if you don’t win my giveaway I suggest making it at home.

Amid afternoon activities, lunch was eaten in parts.  First, a strange-sounding yogurt bowl.

Activia Selects French Pineapple yogurt with canned pumpkin and shredded coconut.

I know that combination sounds strange, but it was pretty good.  Pumpkin Colada?

Plus a bag of popcorn.

And a Biscoff spoon.

I’ve had this jar of Biscoff open for more than a month now and I’m sort of not sure how there’s still any left.

Dinner was Tomato-Vodka Soup and Scones, both magazine recipe finds.

The Tomato-Vodka Soup was from Everyday with Rachael Ray.

I skipped the spices and rim rub, only used half of the vodka, and substituted light for heavy cream.

The Easy Scone recipe was from Woman’s Day.

I used light cream instead of heavy again, but otherwise left this one alone.

Both were delicious.

But I’m not the hugest tomato soup fan (I made this for the husband mostly) so I left behind the 2nd half of my bowl.  Instead I ate a 2nd scone.

With Smart Balance Light and honey.

P.S. Don’t forget to enter my Duncan Hines giveaway.

Hello Again

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I swear, with my hand on a stack of Buffy DVDs, I really do have a blog!  It’s been a few crazy days, but I did miss y’all like crazy.  I’m not going to recap, but I will mention a few things – Adam and I are about ready to serve the dog on a bun ~ we’re all ready for a vacation ~ I have two tests tomorrow because I didn’t even make it to school on Friday to take my exam.

Starting again this morning…

I had a group meeting to finish up a project so I headed to school this morning.  We worked for a couple of hours and we are feeling ready good about the assignment, which isn’t even due for another couple of weeks!

Since it was after 1 before I could even think about food, I headed to The Spot for a quick bite while I studied.

Pizza bagels are crazy simple, just a toasted bagel with marinara sauce and cheese on top, but also crazy good.

I ate 3/4 of this, and gave the last bit to my friend when she picked me up.

Then we moved the party to Starbucks so we could take advantage of the 2-for-1 holiday drinks special.

I got a grande, non-fat, eggnog latte. Score!

Mid-studying this afternoon I snacked on a D’anjou pear.

I also took a break to make an easy, fall-feeling dinner.

  1. On foiled, sprayed baking sheets, top chopped tofu and butternut squash with apple cider vinegar, salt, and brown sugar.
  2. Bake for 40 minutes at 350*, then 20 minutes at 400*.
  3. In a large pan, cook shredded cabbage in apple cider.
  4. Combine.

Dinner was so tasty, the squash got almost caramelized.  I liked the undertones of apple spread throughout.  I took a small portion and now Adam and I both have great leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch.

I know I didn’t eat all that much food today, but trust me, Adam and I more than covered it the past few days!!

Have you gotten a holiday drink from Starbucks yet?  Which one’s your favorite?

Hallowed Breakfast

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Happy Halloween! 

We didn’t have any fun plans this year but I am all about any holiday with theme candy and colors!

I even applied those colors to my breakfast.

orange = pumpkin, black = chia seeds and mini chocolate chips

My (stove-top) base was 1/2 cup each water and skim milk, 1 medium banana, 1/4 cup oats, 1/2 cup canned pumpkin, and 1 Tbsp chia seeds.

With a handful of shredded, unsweetened coconut and 1/2 tsp mini chips for topping.

This was good but I had too much food and not enough time, I’ll probably only finish eating half of the bowl.

spooky snack preview

I don’t have time for “lunch” on Mondays, but I do have a few things packed to snack on during our short breaks.  A gorgeous looking Comice pear,

and a vanilla YoCrunch with candy bits for the holiday.

What are your Halloween plans?  Did you celebrate already this weekend?  Costumes?!

Adrenaline and Glucose

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11 days of freedom!  That is, I have 11 days until I have another test or major assignment on my schedule.  Woo-who; good thing I’ve got all that tv to watch 😉

Last night was, shall we say, eventful.  Just before bed we killed the largest spider I’ve ever seen and it sent adrenaline coursing through my veins.  <– Seriously, “woodlouse spider,” Google if you dare.  Then Webster got sick at 2:30 in the morning and none of us really ever went back to sleep after that.  I made a vet appointment for the dog and a giant coffee for myself.

That’s Godiva Pecan Turtle Coffee (a foodbuzz sample) with Plain Silk Almond Milk and ice.  Delish, thought it did mean that my jumpiness continued.

I ate brunch around my breaks in class.  A red pear.

Plus a sandwich.

2 slices of Rudi’s Honey Sweet Whole Wheat, with Trader Joe’s mango butter, 2 slices of Applegate Farms Herb Turkey, and a slice of 2% Swiss.

Not that great but at least it kept me fueled.  Especially because your brain needs 130 grams of CHO a day to function!

My exam went pretty well, I think.  There were a few areas of confusion (on material we were told was not going to be on the exam!) but overall I felt like I knew my stuff.

I never really mind exams; it’s fun to see how much I know, or don’t know!  Plus I’m a speed tester so I always finish with time to spare.  Having an exam today meant I was released an hour earlier than usual, which is great because I’m on page 21 of The Help and book club is tonight!  Gotta get reading!

Thank You, Friends Up North

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First things first, the winners of today’s giveaway were Jenny and Monica –

Congrats guys, get me your mailing addresses and I’ll send out your coupons.  Everyone else (and Jenny and Monica too, you can enter more than once if you’re feeling extra lucky), don’t forget that another giveaway chance will be posted tomorrow morning.

I feel a little strange writing this post because today felt a little strange.  We haven’t been getting enough sleep and I feel like I’ve been walking through a haze.  I’ve been insanely hungry and I’m sure it’s tied to my lack of sleep.  Though let’s pretend that I’m hungry from my good habits instead of my bad ones, like my workout this morning!

I had 40 minutes of cardio on the agenda so I hopped on the elliptical – level 6 random – for 40 minutes.  I worked up quite a sweat, but my pace was super slow and I knew that I wasn’t really pushing myself so I added 25 minutes on the stationary bike.  I had absolutely no idea what I was doing with the fancy tv-style settings, but I was dripping when I finished so I must have done something right.  As I was getting off the bike, I spotted a fun looking game setting that I’m eager to try out next week.

By the time I got home I was hun-ga-re!  Enter my newest dream team.

I topped a 1 cup serving of Quaker Golden Maple Oatmeal Squares with a serving of Amande strawberry flavored almond milk yogurt and 2 Tbsp of crunchy peanut butter.

I probably won’t buy this yogurt again, the texture was definitely a little “fake” and I’m not too keen on non-Greek flavored yogurts anyways, but I do highly recommend it for any vegans looking for a yogurt fix.  I sent my pb through a spin in the microwave to get it all melty and it became very swoon-worthy.

Unfortunately I didn’t eat “breakfast” until I got home and showered from working out and it was near noon.  My insane hunger coupled with the weird meal times meant I ended up grazing all day.

I had a perfect, crunchy pear.

Two onion rolls with Smart Balance Light.

And a packet of cinnamon roll Oat Revolution with brown sugar, a splash of skim milk, and a big handful of raisins.

Around 2 I did stop stuffing my face long enough to get gussied and leave the apartment – it’s time to find a summer job!  My long stroll up and down Elmwood (in a suit, with a packet of resumes) wasn’t fruitful yet, but at least it got me back off the couch.  I have a couple of prospects I’m feeling hopeful about, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed because the next step will be looking for jobs that aren’t walking distance from the apartment.

Adam picked me up towards the end of my walk home and we split a mini turtle Blizzard.

Then we came home and made a pile.  <– watch “Where the Wild Things Are,” you’ll thank me

I was flying solo for dinner so I went simple.

A leftover Reuben Stuffed Turkey Burger,

with a big plate of baby carrots to get in some veggies.

Notes – 1. I added a slice of cheese to that burger right after I snapped the photo.  2. My hand has been sneaking into the tin of cashews all evening but there’s no pictoral evidence.  3. Those burgers are really good!

And with that, I’m off to watch “Missing” on Netflix Instant Watch.   I rediscovered it recently and it’s rocking my socks.  Is there anything Canadian tv can’t do??!  I also loved “Are You Afraid of the Dark?,” “Braceface,” “Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy,” “That’s So Wierd,” and “In a Heartbeat.”  <– loooove

Did you watch any of those shows back in the day?

Way Back Wednesday, Wk 4

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With any luck, my morning will have started with coffee and a trip to the gym (I’ll blog about that in tonight’s recap).  With a little bit more luck, I won’t be currently curled up in the fetal position and bawling.  Hopefully, while you are reading this I’ll be eating the following lunch.

A nice juicy pear.

1.5 servings of Tribe’s roasted garlic hummus with 1.5 servings of pretzels.

I took a few tastes of this while I was packing my lunch last night and I’m pretty darn excited about this combo.

Bumps on a log.

Who doesn’t love bumps on a log?  The only thing better is apple smiles.

I’m meeting up with a group of friends to study from 10am until our 3:30 – 5:40 double exam (a final exam and a comprehensive final of two courses) so hopefully this lunch while carry me through.  “See” you guys on the other side tonight!

Way Back Wednesday is a new blog series.  Since I have to pre-blog lunch on my long days, I’m throwing in pictures from life BB (life before blogging) for fun.  (week 1, week 2, week 3)

This week’s WBW, The Long and the Short of It.  You guys have mostly seen me with long brown hair (in a ponytail, natch), but my head has lived through a lot of changes.  I was blonde most of high school, even dying my hair with Kool Aide once, a red hed with bangs at the start of college, and I’ve gone up and down with long hair and short cuts over the past 7 years.  Just for funsies, here are a few shots of some of the short times –

Fall, 2003.

Summer, 2008.

Fall, 2009.

Summer, 2009.

How do you wear your hair?  Do you change your look often, or still match your senior yearbook photo?

They’re Fake

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This has got to be a quick one because exam #1 is tomorrow and I am soooo not ready.  I spent most of the day at school with Adam, but sadly my concentration was lacking.

Lunch wasn’t lacking though.  I threw together the ingredient dream team for our sandwiches.

White Arnold’s Sandwich Thins, organic turkey bologna, Laughing Cow Light French Onion Cheese, and a smear of maple jelly.

With a crunchy pear on the side.

And Adam and I split my 2nd sample from Sweet and Salty Zone Perfect Bars for dessert.

Cashew Pretzel was even tastier than the trail mix bar.  There were loads of pretzels and they were still perfectly crunchy.  I definitely recommend buying these bad boys if you see them.  At 200 calories it was perfect for sharing.

My hunger hit when I got home and it hit hard.  Thankfully I’ve got a husband who’s always willing to split mini ice creams with me.

I also made a bowl of popcorn (with melted Smart Balance Light).

I’m still hungry if you can believe it, so I’m off to make dinner.  Tonight’s recipe is going to be a good one!

Vegan Challenge Thoughts, and Lunch

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We’ve completed another Vegan Month!  The husband and I both successfully eschewed all animal products (mostly; there were a few packaged food slip-ups) for all of February.  First off – No, we didn’t pick February because it’s the shortest month.  But yes, we are glad we didn’t have to go another three days!

For the most part, the challenge was a success.  Adam completed the entire month with me and I am so proud of him!  Our main goal was to push ourselves back to the kitchen and that definitely happened.  Other than the last week or so (which with 4+ tests would have been crazy even if we had a personal chef!) we pulled back from our take-out habit and got back to basics.  I made a few old favorites, and discovered some great new vegan recipes.  It was wonderful to get to flex my creative muscles in the kitchen again.

The part that wasn’t so successful was our attitude.  We started strong, but towards the end we just couldn’t wait for the challenge to be over.  I’m actually not sure I deem this longing a failure though.  It wasn’t a “I want pizza and nachos and buffalo wings, oh my!” craving, all though those things did sound good.  Instead I found myself desperate for scrambled eggs and lean meat.  All I really wanted towards the end was a turkey sandwich.  Unfortunately, since I couldn’t eat the sandwich I ate a lot of french fries instead.

Now that the challenge is over, we are going to return to our normal diet, with improvements.  Adam is going to cut back on his milk consumption and mix it up with almond milk half the time.  I’m going to continue to question whether or not every dish really needs cheese.  We are going to continue to try to ratchet up our produce consumption.  We’re going to continue to enjoy a lot of meatless meals, but we are also going to feel good about eating lean, humanely-sourced meats.  We’re excited about it.

Now on to today’s lunch.

I finally got that turkey sandwich.

Chicken actually, this was a Sandwich Thin with horseradish mustard, 2% swiss, and Applegate Farms Organic Roasted Chicken Breast (more on that in a sec).

I usually tend towards turkey because I’m afraid chicken will be slimy, but this was anything but.  I taste-tested while I assembled my sandwich last night and was very impressed.  The roasting gave a great smokey flavor and one serving has just 60 calories.

Plus another juicy pear.

Ok, secs up:  At the start of vegan month I received a rather ironic product sample –

a variety of meats from Applegate Farms.  While I don’t have a moral issue with the consumption of animals, I do think it’s imperative that those animals be treated with respect.  Applegate Farms makes products that mesh with my values.

When I opened the package to squirrel cold cuts into the freezer, I discovered they also sent a cute book, children’s illustrations alongside their food philosophy.  I think this page sums up my response to the vegan challenge pretty well –

[Eat less meat, enjoy it more!]

Do you eat (any kind of) meat?  Why or why not?  What’s your food philosophy?